Shift By Shift: Mathew Barzal’s Return vs. Winnipeg Jets

New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal, after missing the last six contests, skated on the third line with Zach Parise and Kieffer Bellows in the 5-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night.

Mathew Barzal played 17:44 minutes, 20 shifts, with two shots on goal, a giveaway and a takeaway. He was a minus 1 on the night, but was dynamic as you will see in his shift descriptions. He also drew two penalties, with the Islanders capitalizing on the first one.

Here’s Mathew Barzal’s night, shift by shift:

First Period

Shift 1 (2:33-3:48): Mathew Barzal loses the face-off against Dominic Toninato but makes a play in neutral zone to get puck deep into the Winnipeg zone. With the puck on his stick from inside the right circle, Barzal feeds Andy Greene towards the left post, but pass does not connect. Barzal receives a pass in the slot, but fails to corral it.

Shift 2 (5:36-5:48): Barzal tips shot from the low slot but puck is stopped by Winnipeg netminder Connor Hellebuyck. Barzal skates across the Winnipeg Jets blue line and is hooked by Kyle Connor as the Islanders head to their first power play of the night.

Shift 3 (7:26-8:12): After gaining control of puck in own zone in front of Semyon Varlamov, Mathew Barzal feeds puck to Ryan Pulock and gets up the ice. Puck comes into neutral zone, but Barzal cannot knock it off the stick of Nate Schmidt, who dumps puck into Islanders zone. Barzal makes a quick head fake in neutral zone to create space and skates puck over Winnipeg Jets blue line. He then turns back and feeds Scott Mayfield in the high slot. The pass was a little off it’s mark but Scott Mayfield stuck with it and then from the middle of the slot, missed the net as puck deflects out of play.

Shift 4 (10:38-11:42): Barzal wins face-off against Adam Lowry, but puck goes to Winnipeg. Barzal bats down puck before it comes out of Winnipeg’s zone but puck gets too far away from him. Barzal steals the puck behind Winnipeg’s net, kicks puck to his skate. He protects puck along right boards before dumping it down low. Puck goes to a Jet and Winnipeg gets the puck out of their zone.

Shift 5 (13:47-14:52): Barzal positions himself in the middle of the slot and jumps out of the way of a Pulock point shot. Barzal wins puck battle along endboards and finds Bellows in the slot, but ensuing shot hits the post.

Shift 6 (16:25-16:58): Mathew Barzal receives pass in the neutral zone as he skates across Winnipeg blue line before dropping puck to Ryan Pulock who skates into a slapshot, which produces a rebound. Puck goes the other way, a 2 on 0, and Kyle Connor scores (1-1).

Shift 7 (18:30-19:36): Barzal wins face-off against Pierre-Luc Dubois in offensive zone. As he skates through slot to get to puck, he takes an errand high-stick from Dubois and goes down. There was no call on the play & Barzal stays on the ice. As the Islanders look to break out, Barzal calls for the pass in the high slot but the pass is slightly off target in his feet and slides to the Jets in the neutral zone.

Second Period

Shift 8 (21:49-22:35, 3-1 Islanders): Barzal loses face-off to Lowry. Barzal, in own zone, feeds Chara in-tight but puck goes to Winnipeg. Barzal picks up loose puck, fight along boards to escape own zone before being stripped at Jets blue line. Barzal tries to feed Bellows over Jets blue line but Winnipeg blocks the pass. Puck bounces to Bellows who gets a shot on goal but Connor Hellebuyck covers for whistle.

Shift 9 (24:20-25:35): Lowry wins defensive-zone draw against Barzal. Barzal skates behind his own net before a short board-pass to Scott Mayfield to set up the breakout. Mayfield finds Barzal with a stretch pass in neutral zone. Barzal with a few changes of direction along left boards before dropping puck to Bellows, whose shot deflects wide. Barzal gets puck, skid stops at top of zone, drops to Mayfield, whose shot gets blocked. Barzal receives puck from Parise and makes a quick tap pass to Chara. Chara cuts to the slot before flipping puck deeper into zone.

Shift 10 (28:19-29:16): Barzal wins face-off against Lowry outside Winnipeg’s blue line. Islanders ice the puck, but Barzal wins defensive-zone draw against Schiefele. Islanders ice puck again and Barzal wins face-off.

Shift 11 (33:02-33:39): Barzal bats down puck in own zone and skates up ice. Feeds puck to Bellow over Jets blue line, a little out of reach. Bellows and Barzal battle to get puck back but puck ricochets out of play.

Shift 12 (36:15-36:43): Lowry wins face-off against Barzal outside Islanders zone. After a Varlamov save, Barzal sends puck behind Islanders net to Dobson but he cannot corral it. Puck squirts to Varlamov who cannot cover. Jets cycle and Varlamov reels a loose puck in for a whistle.

Shift 13 (37:34-38:45, PP): Pulock drops puck to Barzal in own zone as he skates up ice and breaks through Jets zone. Barzal tries to feed Bailey but pass is intercepted and cleared into neutral zone by Jets. Barzal, again from his own zone, skates into neutral zone and feeds Bailey. Puck then cleared by Jets after Parise loses puck.

Period 3

Shift 14 (42:08-43:04, 3-2 Islanders): Barzal flips puck from neutral zone to Kieffer Bellows crossing into Jets zone. Barzal skates into Jets zone but is immediately tripped by Josh Morrissey.

Shift 15 (44:10-45:16, PP): Barzal skates through slot and crashes net but puck goes wide. Barzal skates through slot and shot from the low slot is turned aside.

Shift 16 (47:14-47:28, 4-2 Islanders): Barzal wins center ice face-off against Lowry.

Shift 17 (47:39-48:02): Barzal loses offensive zone draw to Lowry. Jets ice the puck.

Shift 18 (50:34-51:50): Barzal skates through neutral zone and while on a one-on-one against Brendon Dillon, peels back, peels back the other way and feeds Zach Parise in the low slot. Backhand shot stopped by Hellebuyck.

Shift 19 (55:16-56:12, 5-2 Islanders, 4 on 4): Andrew Copp wins center ice face-off against Barzal. Barzal skates to puck in slot but Logan Stanley gets a piece of it and chips it over Barzal’s skate.

Shift 20 (57:44-59:26): Barzal fees Pulock at the point, pass to Pulock’s backhand rather than forehand. Shot on goal produces a rebound and Barzal gets a wack at it.